Make Me Your Villain

Chapter Forty Six

Hayat Azhar

The expression on Sameer's face shifted as his tense eyes flickered over something on his phone screen.

What was going on?

Before I could ask, he abruptly stormed off the balcony and out of the room, leaving me frozen, staring at the door.

Anxiety flared in my chest and I rushed after him, barely catching a glimpse of his figure as he headed down the stairs.

In my haste, I collided with aunty Tabassum, who gasped in surprise.

"Girl, what's gotten into you?" she exclaimed, steadying herself. "Why are you in such a rush?"

"I don't—" I stammered, glancing ahead. "Sameer, something's wrong. He just ran downstairs and... I'm not sure."

Her face creased in confusion as she hurried down the hallway and I followed close behind.

In the lounge, Gulbano saheba and Akhtar Malik were seated—Gulbano nibbling on a fruit salad while Akhtar sipped his tea, eyes on the newspaper. They both looked up as Sameer barged in.

"You said you forgave me," Sameer started, catching his breath. "Forgiving me means accepting my wife as the daughter-in-law of this house, right?"

I stopped at a distance, my heart racing as I watched the scene unfold.

"What nonsense!" Gulbano saheba snapped. "You may be our son, but that girl means nothing to us. She's nothing but a mistake we're forced to tolerate."

Akhtar Malik raised a brow at Sameer, surprised by his sudden outburst.

"So you'd rather accept someone from a brothel than anyone from outside your circle?" Sameer shot back, his words sharp and my eyes widened.

"What?!" Akhtar Malik slammed his teacup down. "Are you out of your mind? What rubbish are you spewing?"

"Not rubbish—the truth," Sameer countered, his voice calm. "You'd prefer a daughter-in-law from a brothel instead. She'd be easier to accept, wouldn't she?"

"Is that where you found this disgraceful girl?" Akhtar Malik demanded, pointing at me, his anger clear. "Men of honorable families don't speak of such places, let alone go there to find wives."

"Of course, why marry someone from a brothel when you can just own them?"

Akhtar Malik shot up from his seat. "Enough of this!" he bellowed. "Did marrying that girl finally make you lose your mind?"

"No." Sameer responded, his voice uncannily flat. "But finding out about Laal Palace did."

I had no idea what Sameer was talking about, but everyone else seemed shocked by his words.

A bitter laugh resounded as Sameer ran his hands through his hair. "It makes sense. It all makes sense now. You claimed to love me, but despite your so-called love and support, it always felt forced. I thought something was wrong with me for not feeling any real connection to you, but now I understand."

"Sameer, how could you say that to your elders after everything they've done for you?" Aunty Tabassum stepped forward, her eyes wide. "They raised you like their own son. This is no way to speak to them."

"They raised me like their own son?" Sameer turned to her, shaking his head. "No, they raised me out of guilt."

"Stop this, now," his mother commanded. "You're not thinking clearly. I think you should leave."

"Leave? You want me to leave and forget about the man who stumbled into a forbidden place years ago and threatened to expose the owners, only to be shot dead? The victim's mother forgave the killer because the killer was her own husband. It was him!" Sameer's voice thundered as he pointed at Akhtar Malik.